DUTCH STUDYING REQUEST TO SUPPORT IST

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002989 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI, NEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KAWC PTER PREF IZ NL SUBJECT: DUTCH STUDYING REQUEST TO SUPPORT IST REF: STATE 240444 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy political counselor passed reftel demarche to MFA Director for Gulf Affairs Adri van Loopik on November ¶10. Van Loopik was noncommittal and suggested that he and his colleagues in the MFA Legal Division would need to study the request. In a follow-up conversation with Olivia Swaak-Goldman of the MFA's Legal Division on November 17, Embassy legal officer learned that the Dutch would likely be in a position to provide forensic support to the Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST). She explained that the Dutch Government's previous commitment to support forensic investigations in Iraq would, in all likelihood, continue to hold true. The MFA continued to study the request in order to determine just where its support would be most helpful, but she noted that Dutch support would be unlikely to go beyond forensic assistance. ¶2. (SBU) Swaak-Goldman expected that the MFA would be able to provide a firmer and more detailed response to reftel demarche during the week of November 22. SOBEL